Internet in developing countries
In 2001, with the arrival at Louisiana State University of Dr. Victor Mbarika, a renowned researcher on information systems in developing countries, my major interest shifted to how to apply the Internet in developing countries. This eventually became the subject of my dissertation, which I completed in 2003, Expert assessments of e-commerce in Sub-Saharan Africa: A theoretical model of infrastructure and culture for doing business using the Internet. My primary focuses in this area have been on e-business and telemedicine. This became my major focus, and I eventually ceased to conduct new research in my previous stream of competitive strategy. Since 2004, however, my primary focus has shifted to open content and open source software, though I still do conduct research on applications of the Internet in developing countries.
E-business
Okoli, Chitu, Victor A. W Mbarika, and Scott McCoy. 2010. The effects of infrastructure and policy on e-business in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. European Journal of Information Systems Forthcoming.
This study investigates experts’ assessments of the pertinent factors affecting e-business in developing countries from a theory-based national infrastructure perspective. We surveyed experts (business people, academicians, and officials of governmental and non-governmental organizations) in e-business in Latin America (LA) and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Our partial least squares analysis shows that experts believed that policies targeted specifically toward e-business are important in affecting e-business capabilities and in obtaining value from e-business, more so than non-specific general information and communication technologies (ICT) policies, which are not significantly influential. ICT infrastructure generally affects e-business capabilities, though this was not found to be the case in Brazil. Experts believed that national government institutions positively affect e-business value in SSA, but not in LA. Experts did not believe that commercial infrastructure significantly affects e-business value. This study theoretically and empirically distinguishes between two different dimensions of e-business outcomes: specific capabilities and value derived from e-business. It operationalizes the effects of national government institutions and commercial infrastructure on e-business outcomes and empirically tests for their effects. The study provides empirical support for conceptual arguments for the need of ICT policies specific to the needs of e-business.
Okoli, Chitu, Victor A. W Mbarika, and Scott McCoy. 2005. Expert assessments of cultural effects on e-business in developing countries. In IFIP WG9.4 Working Conference. Abuja, Nigeria: International Federation for Information Processing.
This study investigates experts’ assessments of the pertinent factors on certain cultural factors on affecting e-business in developing countries. We design and conduct a survey that empirically solicits information from experts in e-business in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in the first phase (completed and reported here), and in Latin America in the second phase (currently in progress). Our initial results for SSA using PLS analysis show that experts believe that ICT transfer implementation strongly affects both e-business capabilities and value, but that among SSA countries, there are no significant cultural effects of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, or technology culturation. Furthermore, they do not believe that there is any significant interaction between culture and transfer implementation within SSA. This study theoretically and empirically distinguishes between two different dimensions of e-business outcomes: specific capabilities and value derived from e-business. As part of the first study that conducts a quantitative, broad-based survey on factors that contribute toward e-business in the Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America regions, it gives cause to question the common argument that native culture significantly affects the adoption of ICTs.
Okoli, Chitu. 2005. Infrastructural and organizational factors enabling e-business in Sub-Saharan Africa: A case-based research proposal. In 2005 IRMA International Conference, ed. Mehdi Khosrow-Pour. San Diego: Information Resources Management Association.
This research proposal uses a case study approach to investigate the pertinent factors affecting e-business in SSA from the perspective of national infrastructure and organizational factors. I have developed a general framework that explains what pertinent factors affect e-business in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The primary dependent variable is E-business Outcomes, consisting of both E-business Capabilities and E-business Value. The predictor variables are Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policies (consisting of General ICT Policies and E-business Policies), Government Institutions, the Commercial Environment, and ICT Transfer Implementation. Based on an action research methodology, I will specifically focus on eight representative cases in Ghana and study these cases intensively to understand how the predictor variables in my framework affect e-business outcomes in these organizations. In this research program, I expect to demonstrate that e-business capabilities and e-business value, while related, are distinct in their nature and in their contributing factors. Also, I develop a model of how environmental infrastructure-technological, political, and commercial-produces effective e-business outcomes in SSA. Finally, two important elements of this model have not been previously studied empirically, particularly not qualitatively with rich description: the institutional and commercial environment in which businesses operate; and a distinction between general policies on information and telecommunication technologies and those specifically tailored to e-business.
Okoli, Chitu, and Suzanne D. Pawlowski. 2004. The Delphi method as a research tool: an example, design considerations and applications. Information & Management 42, no. 1 (December): 15-29.
For more details on this paper, see the listing in the section on my research on research methodology.
Okoli, Chitu. 2003. Expert assessments of e-commerce in Sub-Saharan Africa: A theoretical model of infrastructure and culture for doing business using the Internet. Dissertation, Louisiana State University. http://chitu.okoli.org/bios/pro/research/pubs/dissertation-abstract.
Okoli, Chitu, and Victor W. A Mbarika. 2003. A framework for assessing e-commerce in Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Global Information Technology Management 6, no. 3.
Sub-Saharan countries are experiencing tremendous growth in Internet connectivity, the use of computers, and in the diffusion of wireless communications. Electronic commerce is one of the growth areas for information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Africa. This paper presents a research framework for assessing electronic commerce in Sub-Saharan Africa. It describes the nature of the digital divide, and explains the need for the commercial applications of the Internet in developing countries in general. Further, it presents literature on e-commerce frameworks, ICT diffusion, and ICTs in developing countries that shed light on different aspects of e-commerce in Sub-Saharan Africa. Finally, it proposes a consolidating framework that synthesizes these various literature streams and lays groundwork for a focused body of research in this area.
Telemedicine
Mbarika, Victor A. W, Pratim Datta, and Chitu Okoli. 2010. Extending the Social Identity of Information Systems: Telemedicine Transfer to Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Information Technology Research Forthcoming.
Although Benbasat and Zmud’s (2003) pronouncement of an “identity crisis” within the information systems (IS) discipline has been mitigated in the industrialized world, we are concerned that the crisis still looms large in the developing world. The objective of this paper is to understand how the information systems discipline can extend its social presence in developing countries to help sustain life itself. We illustrate our concern and argument with an in-depth examination of one area for which information systems research has much to offer: research into telemedicine—remote delivery of healthcare using telecommunications technologies—in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to transform the healthcare sector of this very needy society, home to 33 of the 48 least developed (poorest) countries of the world, and host to some of the world’s most serious ongoing health crises. Contrary to common thinking, socio-political nuances require a different lens to investigate IT-enabled social development in SSA. In that vein, we propose a research framework for telemedicine transfer in the context of SSA with propositions pertinent to the developing world. This paper surfaces issues often overlooked or deemed irrelevant in developed societies in which the bulk of present information systems research has been developed. We conclude by drawing thorough implications of this research agenda as a stepping stone to recreating a social identity in developing nations plagued with more immediate concerns surrounding basic human sustenance.
Stacie N. Nwabueze, Peter N. Meso, Victor W. Mbarika, Mengistu Kifle, Chitu Okoli, and Mark Chustz. 2009. The Effects of Culture of Adoption of Telemedicine in Medically Underserved
Communities. In Proceedings of the 42nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 42:10. Vol. 42. CD-ROM. Waikoloa, Hawaii, USA: IEEE Computer Society, January 5.
Within the information systems discipline, three streams have emerged that address the issue of information technology adoption, diffusion and use. The first examines the factors influencing an individual’s decision to accept a new technology. The second stream deals with the impact of culture on the development and use of information technology; and the third stream is directed toward the transfer of information technology from one country or context into another. While these three streams have attempted to theorize and empirically explain the factors influencing information technology adoption within a new environment, they have largely been used separately and tested within the context of advanced economies. In this paper we attempt to integrate all three in examining the introduction of telemedicine technology in medically underserved communities. The results suggest that the interaction effects of the factors derived from all theories provide a better explanation of technology introduction in medically underserved communities.
Okoli, Chitu. 2006. Embedding telemedicine in its social context. Invited presentation presented at the ICTs and Health: United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, March 9, Addis Ababa.
Tan, Joseph, Mengistu Kifle, Victor W. A Mbarika, and Chitu Okoli. 2005. E-medicine diffusion: E-medicine in developed and developing countries. In E-health paradigm shift: Perspectives, domains and challenges, ed. Joseph Tan, Chapter 8. New York: Jossey-Bass.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Define “E-medicine” in the context of the different periods in the development and growth of e-medicine as a concept, a discipline, and a practice
2. Review challenges faced in the history of e-medicine
3. Understand the significance of diffusing e-medicine in Canada
4. Identify factors affecting e-medicine implementation and diffusion in developing countries, specifically Ethiopia
5. Recognize the meanings and relationships among these constructs and their potential impact on e-medicine implementation success
Solomon, Aster, Mengistu Kifle, Victor A. W Mbarika, and Chitu Okoli. 2004. Telemedicine Endeavors in Ethiopia: Potential Benefits, Present Challenges, and Potential Factors. In 5th Annual Global Information Technology Management (GITM) World Conference, ed. Prashant C Palvia. San Diego: Global Information Technology Management Association.
Kifle, Mengistu, Aster Solomon, Victor A. W Mbarika, and Chitu Okoli. 2004. Critical Success Factors for Telemedicine in Ethiopia. In 2004 IRMA International Conference, ed. Mehdi Khosrow-Pour. New Orleans: Information Resources Management Association.
Mbarika, Victor A. W, and Chitu Okoli. 2003. Telemedicine in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Proposed Delphi Study. In 36th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, ed. Ralph H. Sprague. Waikoloa Village, Hawaii: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
By the end of 2001, an estimated 40 million people worldwide-2.7 million under age 15-were living with HIV/AIDS. More than 70 percent of these people (28.1 million) live in Sub-Saharan Africa. Another killer, malaria, is responsible for as many as half the deaths of African children under the age of five. The disease kills more than one million children each year-2,800 per day-in Africa alone. As such statistics demonstrate, the need for medical care in Sub-Saharan Africa is paramount. Sub-Saharan Africa has fewer than 10 doctors per 100,000 people, and 14 countries do not have a single radiologist. The specialists and services that are available are concentrated in cities. This study examines the state of adoption of telemedicine in Sub-Saharan Africa. We present several examples of successful adoption of telemedicine in the continent, provide several research implications, and propose a Delphi study to identify the critical success factors that would enable successful implementation of telemedicine in Sub-Saharan Africa. While we do not claim that telemedicine will solve all of Sub-Saharan Africa’s medical problems, we do contend that it is a starting point to reach Africans that live in areas with limited medical facilities and personnel.
General and other
Greenbaum, Perry J. 2009. Internet equality — Webbed and Wireless. Concordia University Magazine, Spring. http://magazine.concordia.ca/2009/spring/features/equality.shtml.
The JMSB’s Chitu Okoli believes improving internet access for less developed nations will increase their economic opportunities
Okoli, Chitu (2009). A Brief Review of Studies on Open Source Software in Developing Countries in Peer-Reviewed Journals. SSRN Working Paper Series (http://ssrn.com/abstract=2293669).
For more details on this paper, see the listing in the section on my research on open source software.
Mbarika, Victor W. A, Chitu Okoli, Terry Anthony Byrd, and Pratim Datta. 2005. The Neglected Continent of IS Research: A Research Agenda for Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of the Association for Information Systems 6, no. 5: 130-169.
Research with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a major region within the world’s second largest continent, is almost non-existent in mainstream information systems research. Although infrastructures for information and communication technology (ICT) are well established in the more developed and industrialized parts of the world, the same is not true for developing countries. Research on developing countries has been rare in mainstream IS and, even where existent, has often overlooked the particular situation of SSA, home to 33 of the world’s 48 least-developed countries. Ironically, it is such parts of the world that can stand to gain the most from the promise of ICT with applications that would help the socioeconomic development of this region. In this study, we present the need for focused research on the ICT development and application for SSA. The information systems research community has a unique and valuable perspective to bring to the challenges this region faces in developing its ICT infrastructure, hence extending research and practice in ICT diffusion and policy. We present here a research agenda for studying the adoption, development, and application of ICT in SSA. In particular, teledensity, telemedicine, online education, and e-commerce present important areas for research, with implications for research, practice, and teaching.
Aynu, Bilen, Chitu Okoli, and Victor A. W Mbarika. 2003. IT training in Sub-Saharan Africa: A moderator of IT transfer for sustainable development. In 4th Annual Global Information Technology Management (GITM) World Conference, ed. Prashant C Palvia. Calgary: Global Information Technology Management Association.
While the importance of IT in development strategies is widely recognized, there has been relatively little consideration of the important role that IT training or human capacity development can play in structuring a sustainable IT development. In this paper we argue that although the development of IT infrastructure is a fundamental need for effecting sustainable development in SSA, the presence of substantial infrastructure cannot yield economic development without the human capital to effect this conversion. Thus, IT training is a necessary moderator to enhance the effect of IT transfer in achieving sustainable economic development. The economic role of IT training initiatives is more indirect, operating as a moderator of IT transfer factors that lay an underlying infrastructure for innovation for the growth of IT development.
The sign of the manger
Isaiah 1:2-3 Hear, O heavens, and hearken, O earth, For Jehovah has spoken: I have brought up children, and I have raised them; And yet they have rebelled against Me. 3 The ox knows his owner, And the donkey, his master’s manger; But Israel does not know, My people do not much consider. Compare this with Luke 2:11-12: Luk 2:11-12 Because today a Savior has been born to you in David’s city, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Based...
read moreProphesy for encouragement vs. predicting destruction
A friend asked me my thoughts about a “prophesy” of a devastating earthquake that was supposedly coming to the Northwest coast of the USA in September 2011. Here is the prayerful response I sent my friend. It is helpful to understand the essential purpose of prophesy in the Scriptures. Although biblical prophesy certainly includes foretelling the future to a large part, this is not its essential purpose. In fact, in 1Co 14, when Paul strongly promotes prophesying as a gift and practice for all Christians (the exact opposite...
read moreTsang & Kwan 1999: Replication and Theory Development in Organizational Science: A Critical Realist Perspective
Tsang, E.W.K. & Kwan, K.-M., 1999. Replication and Theory Development in Organizational Science: A Critical Realist Perspective. The Academy of Management Review, 24(4), pp.759-780. I read this as a critical realist piece in management. In addition, its treatment of replication in managemetn and organizational sciences (including qualitative research) is pertinent to my study of systematic literature reviews. Rationale: Replication is an important aspect of developing scientific knowledge. However, in the social sciences, particularly in...
read moreWhetten 1989: What constitutes a theoretical contribution?
Summary of Whetten, D.A., 1989. What constitutes a theoretical contribution? Academy of Management Review, 14(4), p.490–495.
read moreGranados et al 2010: Information Transparency in Business-to-Consumer Markets: Concepts, Framework, and Research Agenda
Granados, Nelson, Alok Gupta and Robert J. Kauffman (2010). Research Commentary—Information Transparency in Business-to-Consumer Markets: Concepts, Framework, and Research Agenda. Information Systems Research (21:2), June 2010, pp. 207-226. I read this as a literature review in ISR. Rationale: In the past decade (2000 to 2010), there has been an increasing trend for companies to make more internal information about themselves and their products and services available for customers to see. The industry-changing nature of the Internet has...
read moreNevo and Wade 2010: The Formation and Value of IT-Enabled Resources: Antecedents and Consequences of Synergistic Relationships
Nevo, Saggi & Wade, Michael R., 2010. The Formation and Value of IT-Enabled Resources: Antecedents and Consequences of Synergistic Relationships. MIS Quarterly, 34(1), pp.163-183. I read this as an exemplar literature review paper; however, it is not a review paper; it is a theory development paper. It was well-worth my time, though. Rationale: It has been challenging to empirically demonstrate the firm-level impact of IT assets, which has led some to conclude that IT assets in themselves have no strategic value. The authors believe that...
read moreChen et al 2010: Information Systems Strategy: Reconceptualization, Measurement, and Implications
Chen, Daniel; Mocker, Martin; Preston, David S.; and Teubner, Alexander. 2010. "Information Systems Strategy: Reconceptualization, Measurement, and Implications," MIS Quarterly, (34: 2) pp.233-259. This is a systematic literature review that generates a new conceptualization of information systems strategy. Rationale: The term "information systems strategy" (IS strategy or ISS), not to be confused with "IT strategy", is often used, but not clearly defined or conceptualized in the research literature. It is...
read moreWebster and Watson 2002: Analyzing the Past to Prepare for the Future: Writing a Literature Review
Webster, Jane and Watson, Richard T. 2002. Analyzing the Past to Prepare for the Future: Writing a Literature Review. MIS Quarterly, (26: 2) pp. xiii – xxiii. Webster and Watson 20012 is the classic information systems research article on writing literature reviews. It is an editorial. Rationale: Up till 2002, there had been a shortage of review articles in IS research. Although MIS Quarterly had previously launched the MISQ Review section to address this, it still appeared that IS researchers in general where not very clear on how to write a...
read moreWu and Lederer 2009: A Meta-Analysis of the Role of Environment-Based Voluntariness in Information Technology Acceptance
Jiming Wu and Albert L. Lederer 2010. A Meta-Analysis of the Role of Environment-Based Voluntariness in Information Technology Acceptance. MIS Quarterly (33:2), June 2009, pp. 419-432. I read this article as an exemplar of a systematic literature review (specifically, a meta-analysis) in IS research. Rationale: The technology acceptance model (TAM) has been much researched and refined, based on its basic propositions that ease of use -> perceived usefulness, ease of use -> behavioural intention, perceived usefulness ->...
read moreReigning like Joseph
Gen 41:40 You shall be over my household, and according to your word all my people shall be ruled; only in the throne will I be greater than you. 41 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.
read more